Igor Larionov will forever hold a special place in the hearts of Detroit Red Wings fans everywhere, as he was an integral part of their Stanley Cup-winning teams of 1997, 1998 and 2002.
The future Hall of Fame playmaking center was regarded as one of the smartest players in NHL history, even earning the nickname "The Professor".
His son, Igor Jr., has gotten into the family business of professional hockey himself, and will once again be playing under the watchful eye of Igor Sr.
Igor Jr. has signed a contract with the KHL's SKA St. Petersburg, of whom Igor Sr. is the head coach.
Igor Larionov has signed for SKA! ⚡️
The 26-year-old forward has penned a one-year deal with our club.
He is indeed our third new addition of the summer.
Welcome to Saint Petersburg, Igor!#hcSKApic.twitter.com/y4EICtZTY1
— SKA Ice Hockey Club (@hcSKA_News) July 9, 2025
The elder Larionov recently took over the coaching duties for SKA St. Petersburg following his departure from Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, whom he had overseen as coach for the previous three seasons.
Coincidently, Igor Jr. had also played the last three seasons with Nizhny Novgorod.
Born in Detroit in 1998 while his father was playing for the Red Wings, the young Larionov played for the Detroit Honeybaked Hockey Club, which was followed by stints for the Québec Remparts, the Muskegon Lumberjacks, and Windsor Spitfires.
Hockey changed forever when the Red Wings pulled off one of the most important trades in their history, acquiring Larionov from the San Jose Sharks in 1995 in exchange for Ray Sheppard.
Detroit, who already 4 Russian-born players on their roster, would soon form the iconic "Russian Five", consisting of forwards Larionov, Sergei Fedorov and Slava Kozlov along with defensemen Vladimir Konstantinov and Slava Fetisov all playing on the same line as one another.
Larionov was integral in Detroit's back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in 1997 and 1998, and then again in 2002. He was one of 10 future Hall of Fame players to suit up for the 2001-02 edition of the Red Wings, which now includes fellow Russian Pavel Datsyuk, who was inducted last year.
With 169 goals and 475 assists for 644 points, Larionov is ranked 17th all-time in scoring by a Russian-born NHL player.
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